Device and method for bagging a consumable product for steeping

ABSTRACT

A product bagging device and method are disclosed for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-quality tea or other beverage. The device allows users to select from a wide variety of fresh, quality teas or other products. The device then bags the product at the time of selection to ensure freshness, and dispenses the bag into a cup together with a quantity of liquid so that it may be quickly and conveniently carried away, for example from a point-of-sale location or at a user&#39;s home.

BACKGROUND

Steeped tea beverages and mixtures allow a consumable product to soak inwater or other liquid to release flavor, nutrients or other propertiesof the product to the liquid. The most commonly steeped beverage is tea,which in the US is typically consumed from mass-produced tea bags. Thistype of tea is generally of lower quality and inferior flavor, due tothe product being made using low-cost tea leaves and tea dust that aresteeped and consumed long after being bagged.

High-quality tea beverages generally are made by steeping fresh,high-quality loose-leaf teas and generally are found at qualityrestaurants and high end tea and coffee houses. Given the need tomaintain freshness to preserve flavor, high-quality teas typically arenot bagged and then shipped for later sale and consumption; however,when they sometimes are bagged before shipment, the teas are generallyexpensive and of limited selection. High-quality, loose-leaf teastypically are steeped fresh, for example in a tea pot, and thenconsumed. Sometimes tea is manually inserted into an unsealed (butfolded) bag about the size of the palm of one's hand, for steeping atthe point of sale or consumption. This method requires manual dexterityand thus typically is time-consuming and messy. It also commonly resultsin tea leaves escaping from the bag and directly into the beverage.Current practices have not integrated convenience, freshness, variety,high quality and cost control in one solution. Therefore, there is aneed for a device that can provide fresh, high-quality tea of abundantvarieties in a convenient and economical “to-go” setting such aspoint-of-sale or home use.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present technology relate to a tea bagging device andmethod for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-quality teaor other beverage. The device allows users to select from a wide varietyof fresh, quality teas or other products. The device then bags theproduct at the time of selection to ensure freshness, and dispenses thebag into a cup for steeping so that it may be quickly and convenientlycarried away, for example from a point-of-sale location or at a user'shome.

In embodiments, the device includes a roll of bag stock and a feedassembly for feeding bag stock through the device. The device furtherincludes a bag forming assembly and a product dispensing assembly. Asthe feed assembly feeds bag stock through the device, the bag formingassembly forms it into bags of custom sizes and the product dispensingassembly loads a custom amount of the selected tea or other consumableproduct into a newly formed bag. In embodiments, a fully formed bag witha customized product is dispensed into a cup. A water dispensingassembly then fills the cup with water or other liquid customized as totemperature and amount.

In one example, the present technology relates to a device for forming abag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply ofbag stock, the device comprising: a processing device for receiving aplurality of requests in succession from consumers requesting aplurality of different mixtures containing different consumableproducts; a bag forming assembly for forming a plurality of bags fromthe bag stock in succession for the plurality of different mixturescontemporaneously with the processing device receiving the plurality ofrequests for the different mixtures; and a product dispensing assemblyfor dispensing the different consumable product into at least partiallyformed bags contemporaneously with the processing device receiving theplurality of requests for the different mixtures.

In another example, present technology relates to a device for forming abag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from a supply ofbag stock, the device comprising: a product dispensing assembly fordispensing a product from a feed pipe into an at least partially formedbag; a bag feeding assembly for feeding the bag stock around the feedpipe; a bag forming assembly for forming a bag including an edge seamalong an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first andsecond end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam beingformed after the product dispensing assembly dispenses the product intothe at least partially formed bag; a cutting mechanism for severing thebag for receipt into a receptacle; and a liquid dispensing mechanism fordispensing a quantity of liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag.

In a further example, the present technology relates to a device forforming a plurality of bags containing different consumable products anddifferent amounts of consumable products, the plurality of bags beingmade from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising: a productdispensing assembly for dispensing consumable product from a feed pipeinto an at least partially formed bag; a bag forming assembly forforming the plurality of bags each including an edge seam along an edgeof the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, and first and second endseams transverse to the edge seam, the second end seam being formedafter the product dispensing assembly dispenses consumable product intoan at least partially formed bag; a cutting mechanism for severing a bagof the plurality of bags for receipt into a receptacle; and a liquiddispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into thereceptacle to steep the bag, wherein the device is portable.

In another example, the present technology relates to a system forforming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from asupply of bag stock, the system comprising: a memory for storing aplurality of user identities and user preferences defined by theplurality of users regarding beverages including a steeped consumableproduct; and a device, comprising: a processing device with access tothe memory, the processing device receiving a user identity andretrieving stored user preferences for that user regarding a beverageincluding the steeped consumable product; and a bag forming assembly forforming the bag from the bag stock in accordance with the userpreferences retrieved by the processing device.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an enclosure for a device for forming aready-made bag of consumable product to be steeped.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative enclosure for a devicefor forming a ready-made bag of consumable product to be steeped.

FIG. 3 is a front view of internal components of a device for forming aready-made bag of consumable products to be steeped.

FIG. 4 is a side view of internal components of a device for forming aready-made bag of consumable products to be steeped.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of internalcomponents of a device for forming a ready-made bag of consumableproducts to be steeped.

FIG. 6 is a view of bag stock being formed into bags includingconsumable products according to an embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 7 is a view of back stock being formed into bags includingconsumable product according to an alternative embodiment of the presenttechnology.

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a computing device for use withthe present technology.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are together a flowchart illustrating the operation ofbag forming device according to embodiments of the present technology.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present technology will now be described withreference to FIGS. 1-9B, which in general relate to a tea bagging deviceand method for providing a ready-made custom bag of fresh, high-qualitytea. It is understood that the present invention may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as being limited to theembodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully conveythe invention to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the invention isintended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents of theseembodiments, which are included within the scope and spirit of theinvention as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, in thefollowing detailed description of the present invention, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it will be clear tothose of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may bepracticed without such specific details.

The terms “top” and “bottom,” “upper” and “lower” and “vertical” and“horizontal” as may be used herein are by way of example andillustrative purposes only, and are not meant to limit the descriptionof the invention inasmuch as the referenced item can be exchanged inposition and orientation. Also, as used herein, the terms“substantially,” “approximately” and/or “about” mean that the specifieddimension or parameter may be varied within an acceptable manufacturingtolerance for a given application. In one embodiment, the acceptablemanufacturing tolerance is ±0.25%.

While embodiments are described below with respect to a device which maybe used to form a ready-made teabag, it is understood that the devicemay be used to form and fill a sealed bag with a variety of otherconsumable products in further embodiments. In addition to tea, theseconsumable products may include for example herbs and spices, coffee,fruits, vegetables and a variety of other products that may be baggedfor steeping in water, alcohol, oil, or other liquids. It is alsoconceivable that bags formed according to embodiments of the presenttechnology include non-edible consumable products, such as for examplebath salts and other bath products, or air freshener beads that permeatearoma into an open space.

As explained below, it is a feature of the present technology that it isable to produce a ready-made bagged product for steeping. That is, thedevice is able to enclose fresh tea leaves or other product into a bagright at the time it is to be steeped and consumed to ensure freshness.Forming the fresh product in a bag allows it to be dispatched into a cupwhich can then be taken “to-go.” That is, carried away while the baggedproduct is steeping, or the bag can also be taken to-go to steep laterwhile on the go. This avoids a problem of conventional quality teaservings of having to wait while or until the tea has steeped. Asexplained below, a device according to the present technology furtherallows the production of bags of different consumable product, possiblyof varying sizes, in rapid succession, and the dispensing of liquid indifferent quantities and at different temperatures.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, there is shown a tea bagging device 100including an enclosure 102. Enclosure 102 can be formed of any of avariety of materials, including for example plastic and metals such asaluminum and stainless steel. The enclosure 102 may include a variety ofdoors, seams and hinges to allow access to the internal components(explained below) within the enclosure 102. The enclosure 102 may besupported on a countertop or other surface. Alternatively, the device100 may be mounted on a wall or otherwise from its side.

The enclosure 102 may include an opening 104 for receiving a cup intowhich the device deposits a bagged consumable product and liquid. Theenclosure 102 may further include a user interface 110 allowing a userto control and interact with the tea bagging device 100 as explainedhereinafter. User interface 110 may alternatively be a standalone deviceseparate from enclosure 102, and connected to the device 100 via a cableor wireless connection. As shown in FIG. 1, the enclosure may becomprised of substantially flat planar surfaces in the form of a cuboid,but other shapes are contemplated. For example, FIG. 2 shows anenclosure with substantially elliptical or spherical sidewalls.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are front and side views, respectively, of the componentsand assemblies mounted within the enclosure 102. These components andassemblies include a roll of bag stock 112 from which product-filledbags may be formed, and a feed assembly 114 for feeding bag stock 112through the device 100. The device 100 further includes a bag formingassembly 116 and a product dispensing assembly 120. As the feed assembly114 feeds bag stock 112 through the device 100, the bag forming assembly116 forms it into bags of custom sizes and the product dispensingassembly 120 loads a custom amount of the selected tea or otherconsumable product into a newly formed bag. In embodiments, a fullyformed bag with a customized product is dispensed into a cup seatedwithin the opening 104 of the enclosure 102. A liquid dispensingassembly 122 then fills the cup with water or other liquid customized asto temperature and amount. Each of these assemblies and components isexplained in greater detail below.

Bag stock 112 may be continuous length or ribbon of flat material havinga width of for example between 100 mm and 170 mm. It is understood thatthe width of the bag stock 112 may be wider or narrower than that rangein further embodiments. For convenience, the continuous ribbon of bagstock may be wound into a roll which can be easily mounted on a shaft orroller as explained below to supply a continuous length of bag stock forforming bags. In further embodiments, the bag stock may instead befolded sheets in a stack.

As explained below, as the bag stock is fed through the device 100, thebag forming assembly 116 folds the flat bag stock lengthwise so thatopposite edges of the bag stock come together and are sealed to eachother to form a continuous cylinder having an edge seam. Thereafter,discrete lengths of the cylinder are sealed and cut to form theindividual bags. As opposed to starting with a flat material, bag stock112 may begin as a continuous cylinder (i.e., it is formed into acylinder before being loaded into the device 100). In such embodiments,the portions of the bag forming assembly 116 described below which sealthe edges together along the edge seam may be omitted.

Bag stock 112 may be formed of a variety of different materials, in partdepending on the manner in which the bag stock is to be sealed intoindividual bags by the bag forming assembly 116. For example, where thebag forming assembly 116 uses heat or ultrasonic energy to seal thebags, bag stock may be a thermoplastic material including for examplenylon, polyester, polyethylene or other materials capable of being fusedtogether when heated. Bag stock 112 may alternatively be formed of silk,paper or other fiber, for example where the seams of the bag stock areformed by stitching or sewing. In further embodiments, bag stock may beformed of biodegradable materials including for example biodegradableplastics, corn-based materials or other materials.

Bag stock 112 may further include tags 118 (FIG. 6) affixed by a stringat intervals along the bag stock. Alternatively, tags 118 may be affixedby their string to the bag stock as the bag stock moves through thedevice 100.

The bag feed assembly 114 of the device 100 in general includessubassemblies for loading the bag stock into the device 100, and feedingthe bag stock through the device 100 as it is formed into individualsealed bags. The bag feed assembly 114 includes a bag stock queuingsubassembly 124, a bag stock guiding subassembly 126, and a bag stockindexing subassembly 128, each of which is described below.

The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 is responsible for supporting theroll of bag stock 112 to provide a continuous length of bag stock 112 tothe device 100. The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 may for exampleinclude a shaft mounted to the enclosure 102 on which the roll of bagstock 112 may be mounted and dispensed. The shaft may be fixedly mountedto the enclosure, or the shaft may be rotatably mounted to the enclosureby bearings that allow the shaft to rotate with the roll of bag stock asthe stock is fed through the device 100. The queuing subassembly 124keeps the roll of bag stock in proper alignment for feeding into the bagstock guiding subassembly 126, and allows bag stock 112 to be easilyreplaced with a new roll.

In one example, the end and/or beginning of each roll of bag stock 112may have a strip of adhesive so that a new roll can be attached to theend of the old roll. There will be a switch or option on the userinterface that the operator will use to indicate that a new roll isbeing installed. When this is activated, the bag forming assembly 116will skip the sealing steps forming the bag stock into individual bagsas described below, and feed enough bag stock material through so thatthe first seal is made after the strip of adhesive at the start of thenew roll has passed the sealing mechanism of the bag forming assembly116.

The bag stock guiding subassembly 126 of feed assembly 114 may includeone or more shafts 134 that support the continuous length of bag stock112 and guide it to and around a feed pipe 168 of the product dispensingassembly 120 (explained below). Again, these shafts may be mounted tothe enclosure so as to rotate or not rotate. Independent of whether theyrotate/do not rotate, the shafts 134 may be mounted to the enclosure 102in a way that allows them to translate under given loads relative to theenclosure so that their axes of rotation may shift slightly up, down,left and right, or any angle therebetween. As the length of bag stock112 is fed over the shafts 134, this slight play in the shafts absorbsstresses in the length of bag stock 112 that might otherwise tear thebag stock 112. It is understood that the number and position of shafts134 shown in the figures is by way of example only, and there may bemore or less shafts 134, and they may be positioned in differentlocations, in further embodiments.

The shafts 134 are positioned so that they gradually bend the bag stockaround the feed pipe of the product dispensing assembly 120 so that theopposed edges of the bag stock wrap around the feed pipe and cometogether. In particular, the axes of rotation of the different shafts134 may lie in different, nonparallel planes from each other asindicated in FIGS. 3 and 4. This allows the bag stock to graduallytransition from a flat ribbon when dispensed from the bag stock queuingassembly 124 to its position wrapped around the feed pipe 168 and havinga substantially cylindrical cross-section. Once wrapped around the feedpipe 168 and aligned with each other, the edges of bag stock 112 may besealed together to form the edge seam in the bag stock as explainedbelow.

In one embodiment, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may includetwo pairs of rollers 136, 138. When bag stock 112 is wrapped around thefeed pipe 168, the joined opposed edges may form a seam passing betweenfirst the upper pair of rollers 136 and then the lower pair of rollers138. The rollers may be connected to an actuator or a motor (not shown)which drives each of the rollers in each of the roller pairs 136, 138 toadvance the bag stock down through the device 100. The actuator may bedriven by a DC power supply or a conventional 120 volt AC power outlet.In one example, the actuator may be part number 70155K48 available fromMcMaster-Carr Supply Co. Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., but other actuators arecontemplated. Each of the rollers in roller pairs 136, 138 may include asurface of the high friction material such as for example rubber toprevent slippage between the roller pairs and the bag stock seam.

In embodiments, the rollers 136, 138 of the indexing subassembly 128 mayadvance the bag stock a discrete length, pause, advance the bag stockanother discrete length, pause, advance the bag stock another discretelength, etc. Each of these discrete lengths may be the length of a bagto be sealed and formed as explained below. As is also explained, eachof these discrete lengths may be the same as or different than eachother.

In the example shown in the figures and described above, the bag stock112 wraps around the feed pipe so that a seam is formed at the edges ofthe bag stock which can be gripped and advanced by the rollers of theindexing subassembly 128. In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 5, thebag stock guiding subassembly 126 may wrap the bag stock around the feedpipe so that one edge of the bag stock folds over the opposite edge ofthe bag stock. (The bag stock queuing subassembly 124 and bag stockguiding subassembly 126 are omitted from FIG. 5 for clarity). In theexample of FIG. 5, the bag stock completely wraps around the feed pipe,and there is no protruding seam. In this embodiment, the bag stockindexing subassembly 128 may be comprised of one or more pairs ofrollers 138 whose axes of rotation are perpendicular to the direction inwhich the bag stock 112 is advancing. Rollers 138 may be driven by anactuator (not shown) which advances the bag stock down through thedevice 100 in discrete lengths as described above.

Referring now to bag forming assembly 116, it may include twosubassemblies: an edge seam subassembly 140 forming a seam along an edgeof the bag stock 112 (i.e., along the direction the bag stock isadvancing), and an end seam subassembly 142 forming seams across the bagstock 112 (i.e., transverse to the direction the bag stock 112 isadvancing). Each of these subassemblies is described below.

Edge seam subassembly 140 bonds opposite edges of the bag stock 112together as the bag stock passes over the feed pipe 168 to form an edgeseam in a length of the bag stock. The edge seam subassembly 140 mayform the edge seam by a variety of technologies, but in one embodiment,may use heat to melt and fuse the edges of the bag stock 112 together.In one such example, the edge seam subassembly 140 may include a pair ofheat plates 144, 146 which may be actuated by an actuator (not shown) tomove between a spaced apart position shown in FIG. 3 and an engagedposition where the heat plates 144, 146 come together with a length ofthe bag stock seam positioned therebetween. In one example, the actuatormay be part number 70155K48″ available from McMaster-Carr Supply Co.Inc., Elmhurst, Ill., but other actuators are contemplated. The heatplates 144, 146 and actuator can be supported within a housing (notshown) that is mounted to or within the enclosure 102.

The plates 144, 146 may be heated, or may include heating elements wherethey come together along the seam. When brought together, the plates144, 146 exert a force of for example 14 ounces on a section of the bagstock seam to seal the section of bag stock together into a cylinder. Itis understood the force may be greater or lesser than that in furtherembodiments.

An example of an edge seam 148 is shown in the vertical shaded area inFIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a length of bag stock 112 sufficient for twoseparate bags 150, in this instance, referred to as upper bag 150 a andlower bag 150 b. Upper and lower bags 150 a, 150 b are separated fromeach other by an end seam 152 formed across the width of the bag stock112 by the end seam subassembly 142 as explained below. In embodiments,the edge seam 148 for bags 150 a, 150 b shown in FIG. 6 may be formed intwo separate cycles of the edge seam subassembly 140. That is, in afirst cycle, heat plates 144, 146 may come together to form the edgeseam 148 in lower bag 150 b, the heat plates 144, 146 may then moveapart, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bag stock112, and the heat plates 144, 146 may then come together in a secondcycle to form the edge seam 148 upper bag 150 a.

The force exerted by plates 144, 146 on the bag stock, the amount ofheat applied to the bag stock and/or the length of time the heat isapplied may each be predefined for the type of material used as bagstock 112. In embodiments, each of these parameters may be set by amanufacturer of device 100 for use with a particular bag stock material.Alternatively, these parameters may be set by a processing device 180(described below) upon a user specifying the type bag stock materialbeing used in a setup routine via the user interface 110. In furtherembodiments, a user may custom set or control one or more of theseparameters via the user interface.

It is understood that the edge seam subassembly 140 may form seam 148along the edge of the bag stock using a variety of other components andaccording to a variety of other technologies in further embodiments. Forexample, instead of a pair of plates which form the edge seam 148 alonga section of the bag stock at the same time, the edge seam subassembly140 may instead include a pair of rollers between which the edge seamtravels. The rollers may be heated and apply a pressure to form the edgeseam in the bag stock as it passes between the rollers.

In further embodiments, the edge seam 148 may be pressed between a pairof plates or rollers as described above, but the seam is formed byapplication of ultrasonic energy for a predetermined period of time. Ina further embodiment, the edge seam subassembly 140 may include a sewingmechanism for stitching the edges of the bag stock together to form theedge seam 148.

Each of the above-described embodiments is capable of forming a robustedge seam 148 where the edges of the bag stock are fused tightlytogether. However, as the bag formed in device 100 is used fresh (and inembodiments may not be shipped) the seams in the bag 150 need only berobust enough to prevent escape of the product 156 during steeping infurther embodiments.

As noted above, the edge seam forms the bag stock 112 into a cylinder.In embodiments of the present technology, the size of this cylinder maybe varied by varying the position of the edge seam in the bag stock, tothereby vary the overall size of the bag. As explained below, varyingthe spacing between end seams formed in the bag stock is another way tovary the overall size of the bag. The position of the edge seam may bevaried in a number of ways. In one embodiment, the feed pipe 168(explained below) may have a variable diameter, which diameter may becontrolled by a processing device 180 (also explained below). Inembodiments, the diameter of the feed pipe 168 may be adjusted manuallyor by replacing it with a different feed pipe 168 with a differentdiameter. As the bag stock 112 wraps around the feed pipe, varying thediameter of the feed pipe will vary the diameter of the cylinder of bagstock formed by the edge seam.

Once wrapped around the feed pipe, edges of the bag stock 112 protrudeaway from the feed pipe. These edges are grabbed by the edge seamsubassembly 140 to form the edge seam 148. In a further embodiment, itis contemplated that the diameter of the formed cylinder and size of thebag may be varied by varying the position of the edge seam subassembly140 relative to the edges of the bag stock 112 protruding away from thefeed pipe. The edge seam subassembly 140 may be mounted on a translatingtable that moves it closer to or farther from the feed pipe 168 undercontrol of the processing device 180. In this way, the edge seam 148 maybe formed closer to or farther from the actual edges of the folded bagstock 112.

After edge seam 148 is formed by edge seam subassembly 140, a first endseam 152 may be formed by end seam subassembly 142. End seam subassembly142 may be similar in configuration and operation to any of theembodiments described above respect to edge seam subassembly 140, withthe exception that instead of forming a seam along the longitudinal edgeof bag stock 112, the end seam subassembly 142 forms a seam transverseto the longitudinal edge of bag stock 112. For example, as shown in FIG.3, end seam subassembly 142 may include a pair of heat plates 170, 172which operate in a manner similar to heat plates 144, 146 describedabove. As with subassembly 140, end seam subassembly 142 may operate toform the end seam 152 using technologies other than heat, including forexample ultrasonic energy and stitches.

As shown in FIG. 6, once an end seam 152 is formed in the bottom of abag 150, consumable product 156 may be loaded therein by the productdispensing assembly 120. Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the productdispensing assembly 120 works in parallel with the feed assembly 114 andbag forming assembly 116 to dispense product into a bag 150 as it isbeing formed. The product dispensing assembly 120 includes a hopper 160for receiving consumable product and for dispensing discrete amounts ofconsumable product into respective bags 150 in succession as they areformed.

Hopper 160 may include an open topside with a hinged cover 164 (FIG. 1)for receiving the consumable product from a user. The hopper 160 thenfunnels consumable product down into a feed pipe 168. As noted above,feed pipe 168 has a length sufficient so that the bag stock 112 may beformed therearound by bag stock guiding subassembly 126 and closed alonga protruding edge seam 148 by edge seam subassembly 140. In embodiments,the feed pipe 168 may have a diameter of 50 mm and a length ofapproximately 20 to 25 cm. However, the diameter and length may belarger or smaller in further embodiments. The end seam formingsubassembly 142 may form the end seam 152 in the bag stock beneath thelower end of feed pipe 168. Once an end seam 152 is formed, consumableproduct may be dispensed into a bag (e.g., upper bag 150 a) through thefeed pipe 168 of the product dispensing assembly 120.

The product dispensing assembly 120 may further include a mechanism forreleasing discrete amounts of product down the feed pipe 168 after anend seam 152 is formed in a lower end of a bag 150. In one embodiment,the mechanism may comprise a wheel having a plurality of receptacles forreceiving product around an outer periphery of the wheel. A user mayopen the cover 164 and place the desired amount of product within areceptacle of the wheel. The wheel then rotates so that gravity releasesproduct within that receptacle down into feed pipe 168.

In a further embodiment, the mechanism may comprise a door covering thefeed pipe 168. A user may open cover 164 and place the desired amount ofproduct within the hopper 160. The product remains in the hopper 160until the door covering the feed pipe is automatically actuated torelease the product down into the feed pipe 168. Other mechanisms arecontemplated which are able to release a discrete amount of product downinto the feed pipe 168 at a desired time in coordination with theformation of a bag 150.

The discrete amount of product which is released down into the feed pipe168 for loading into a bag 150 may be measured by either volume, mass orboth. As explained below, different amounts of product may be loadedinto different bags 150 as bags 150 are formed.

In embodiments, there may be a single hopper 160, or a plurality ofhoppers 160 into which the user may load and store different productand/or different amounts of product. Product from the respective hoppersis released in successive intervals down into the feed pipe 168 forloading into successive bags 150.

In embodiments, one or more hoppers may be removable from the device100. In such embodiments, a hopper (possibly empty, possibly not empty)may be removed from the device 100, and replaced with another hopperloaded with a desired amount of product. In another example, multiplehoppers, each with a discrete amount of product, may be mounted withinthe product dispensing assembly 120 at the same time. In this example,the plurality of hoppers may be part of a cartridge. Product may beloaded into the hoppers of the cartridge, and then the cartridge may beloaded into the product dispensing assembly 120. Thereafter, productfrom the respective hoppers of the cartridge may be released insuccessive intervals down into the feed pipe 168 for loading intosuccessive bags 150.

Referring to lower bag 150 b in FIG. 6, once an end seam 152 is formedat the lower portion of a bag, product 156 is dispensed within the bag,and a second end seam 152 is formed at the top of the bag. At thispoint, the bag 150 is complete and may be severed from the roll of bagstock 112. A cutting mechanism 174 (shown in FIG. 4) may be included aspart of end seam subassembly 142 or as a standalone mechanism forsevering a completed bag 150 by cutting along dashed line 176 (FIG. 6).

In embodiments, the end seam subassembly 142 may form the end seam 152with a width such that it forms a seal in both bags after the bags aresevered by cutting mechanism 174. As shown in FIG. 6, when cuttingmechanism 174 cuts along cutline 176, a portion of the end seam 152forms the top end seam for the lower bag 150 b, and a portion of the endseam 152 forms the bottom end seam 152 for the upper bag 150 a. In oneexample, the width of end seam 152 may be 5 mm, though it may be largeror smaller than that in further embodiments.

Once the cut is made along cutline 176, lower bag 150 b is completed anddrops out of the device 100, for example into a cup positioned withinthe device 100 as shown in FIG. 1. After a seam 152 is made in the lowerend of upper bag 150 a, it may then be filled with consumable product156, its upper end sealed with another end seam 152, and then that bagis completed and may be severed. This process may be repeated to formsuccessive bags 150 of consumable products 156.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the cutting mechanism 174 is positionedbeneath the heat plates 170, 172. Thus, either the heat plates 170, 172and cutting mechanism 174 may move upward so that the cut along cutline176 may be made through the seam 152 that was earlier formed by the heatplates 170, 172. Alternatively, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128may advance the bag stock a small amount so that the cutting mechanism174 can cut through the seam 152 earlier formed by the heat plates 170,172.

In the embodiment described respect to FIG. 6, the end seam 152 is asingle contiguous seam across its width. In an alternative embodimentshown in FIG. 7, heat plates 170, 172 may apply heat in such a way so asto form discrete seams 152 a and 152 b in seam 152. Thereafter, cuttingmechanism 174 may cut along cutline 176 as described above. However, inthis embodiment, the cutting mechanism 174 does not cut through any partof the end seam 152 (the mechanism 174 does not cut through any part ofthe bag stock 112 that is welded together, with the possible exceptionof edge seam 148). In this embodiment, the seams 152 a and 152 b may beformed at the same time. Alternatively, it is conceivable that the endseam subassembly 142 form seam 152 b, then the lower bag 150 a issevered by cutting mechanism 174, and then the end seam subassembly 142forms the upper seam 152 a.

In embodiments, the end seam subassembly 142 may form pyramid bags orflat bags. In order to make a flat bag as shown in FIG. 6, the end seamassembly 142 may be in a fixed position with respect to the advancingbag stock 112 so that the end seams 152 formed at the top and bottomends of a bag 150 lie in the same plane. In order to make a pyramid bag150 as shown in FIG. 3, the end seam subassembly 142 may be supported ona table so as to rotate 90° (or some other angle) between the top andbottom end seams 152. In further embodiments, the end seam subassembly142 may be held stationary, and the bag stock guiding subassembly 126may rotate the bag stock 90° (or some other angle) between the top andbottom end seams 152 to form a pyramid bag.

In embodiments described above, the edge seam 148 is left intact in thefinished bag 150. In further embodiments, a trimming mechanism may beprovided as part of edge seam subassembly 140, end seam subassembly 142or as a standalone unit to trim excess portions of the edge seam 148.This trimming mechanism may be similar to cutting mechanism 174 butoriented parallel to the direction the bag stock is advancing so as totrim the longitudinal edge of edge seam 148.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 4, once a bag 150 has been formed andsevered into a cup within opening 104 of device 100, the liquiddispensing assembly 122 may then dispense liquid into the cup so thatthe consumable product 156 within the newly formed bag 150 can steepwithin the liquid. The liquid dispensing assembly 122 can store and heata quantity of liquid, and be controlled by the processor 180 to dispensethe right amount of liquid at the right temperature into the cup for theselected consumable product 156.

As noted above, different consumable products may be steeped in liquidsof different quantities and at different temperatures. The liquiddispensing assembly 122 can heat liquid to the appropriate temperaturefor a selected consumable product 156 while that product is beingdispensed into a bag 150 as described above. Once at the righttemperature, the liquid dispensing assembly 122 can dispense the rightamount of liquid under the control of the processor 180. In embodiments,liquid may be dispensed from a canister 178 via a tube 179 (FIG. 4)which is separated from the pathway of bag stock 112 and bag 150 toprevent moisture from getting into the bag pathway. Pumps for supplyinga customizable amount of liquid such as water are available fromDongguan Zhonglong Motor-Electric Appliance Manufactory Co., Ltd. ofGuangdong, China, under their part number and name 25-02G1 DC mini waterpump.

In embodiments, a completed and severed bag 150 may simply drop out ofthe device 100 down into a waiting cup. In further embodiments, acompleted and severed bag may drop down onto an angled chute which inturn drops the bag 150 down into a cup waiting at the bottom of thechute. An advantage of using a chute is that rising steam from the cupdoes not enter the feed pipe. In further embodiments (using a chute ornot using a chute), the bag may be formed, dispensed and carried away.In this embodiment, the liquid dispensing assembly 122 does not dispenseliquid.

It is conceivable that the liquid dispensing assembly 122 can haveseparate compartments within canister 178 capable of heating differentquantities of liquids to different temperatures. Thus, for example, theliquid from a first compartment may be used in a first cup with a firstbag, the liquid from a second compartment may be used in a second cupwith a second bag formed after the first bag, the liquid from a thirdcompartment may be used in a third cup with a third bag formed after thesecond bag, etc. It is also conceivable that the separate compartmentscan house separate types of liquids, such as for example water, milk,alcohol, oil, etc. Each of these compartments may have its own nozzlefor supplying liquid into a waiting cup.

Device 100 may further include a processing device 180 (shownschematically in FIG. 3 and is a block diagram in FIG. 8), which inembodiments may be a microprocessor in communication with user interface110, bag forming assembly 116, product dispensing assembly 120 andliquid dispensing assembly 122.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of one example of processing device 180 thatcan be used in the device 100. In one embodiment, processing device 180includes one or more central processing units (CPU) 182. Processingdevice 180 may also include memory 190. Depending on the exactconfiguration and type of computing device, memory 190 may include asystem memory 184 having volatile memory 186, non-volatile memory 188 orsome combination of the two. The memory 190 may be implemented on acomputer-readable medium, which may be a processor-readable storagedevice. Such devices may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable andnon-removable memory devices implemented in any method or technology forstorage of information such as computer readable instructions, datastructures, program modules or other data. Some examples ofcomputer-readable media or processor-readable storage devices are RAM,ROM, EEPROM, cache, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM,digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, memorysticks or cards, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, a media drive, ahard disk, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, orany other device which can be used to store the information and whichcan be accessed by a computer.

Additionally, device 180 may have other features/functionality. Forexample, device 180 may also include additional storage (removableand/or non-removable) including, but not limited to, magnetic or opticaldisks or tape. Such additional storage is illustrated in FIG. 8 byremovable storage 192 and non-removable storage 194. Device 180 may alsocontain communications connection(s) 196 such as one or more networkinterfaces and transceivers that allow the device to communicate withother devices wirelessly or via a network cable. Device 180 is alsocapable of receiving input from and providing output to user interface110.

User interface 110 may include a variety of soft or hard keys and/orbuttons for providing input to the processing device 180, and may have adisplay for displaying output and feedback from the processing device180. As noted above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, the user interface110 may be provided on an exterior of enclosure 102, or may be separatefrom the device 100 and connected thereto via a wired or wirelesscommunications interface.

In addition to user interface 110 and the assemblies within theenclosure 102, the processing device 180 may further receive feedbackfrom a sensor 198 (FIG. 1) within the opening 104 of enclosure 102 asshown in FIG. 1. The sensor 198 may be an optical transceiver foremitting a light or signal capable of detecting when a cup is positionedwithin opening 102 and/or when a cup is removed from opening 102. Usingfeedback from the sensor 198, the processing device 180 may control theassemblies within the device 100 to wait to sever a new bag 150 and/ordispense liquid until a cup is sensed within the opening 102. Theprocessing device 180 may also use feedback from the sensor 198 tocontrol the assemblies within the device 100 to wait to sever a new bag150 to ensure that, once a bag and liquid have been dispensed into acup, that cup is removed and replaced by a new one before a new bag andadditional liquid are dispensed.

Using the above-described components assemblies and subassemblies, thepresent technology is able to provide a ready-made bag 150 having acustomized amount of a selected consumable product. In a furtherembodiment, the user interface 110 may be omitted, and/or the processingdevice 180 may be omitted (or have reduced functionality relative tothat described above). Such embodiments may include a simple button thatinitiates formation and filling of a bag when pressed. In furtherembodiments, even the button may be omitted. The hopper may include asensor which initiates bag formation and filling when the sensor detectsthat product has been added to the hopper.

The bags of consumable product are ready-made in that they are madecontemporaneously with the request to receive a beverage or mixturecontaining the consumable product. As used herein, “contemporaneous,”and forms thereof, means that within a short period of time of receivingthe request for the beverage or mixture, a bag containing the consumableproduct is formed and is ready for steeping. In examples, this shortperiod of time may be 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, a minute, orany length of time up to a minute. The short period of time may begreater than a minute in further embodiments.

In embodiments, successive bags 150 may be made in different sizes toreceive differing amounts of consumable product 156. In particular, whena given consumable product is selected via user interface 110, theprocessing device 180 may know the amount of consumable product 156 thatneeds to be put into a bag 150. With this information, the processingdevice 180 may control the size of the bag 150 by varying the width of abag (by changing the position of the edge seam 148) and/or the length ofa bag (by changing the distance between top and bottom end seams 152) toaccommodate differing amounts of consumable product 156 to be put intothe bag. In this way, the device 100 may output successive bags ofconsumable product 156 with different sizes based on the type ofconsumable product 156 within the bag 150. The size of a bag may also bevaried depending on whether the user has selected a small, medium orlarge beverage. In embodiments explained below, the size of the bag mayalso vary based on user preferences. The liquid may also be customizedas to temperature and amount.

In a further feature of the present technology, a device 100 may beportable. Device 100 is portable in that it may weigh for example 50pounds or less and may be lifted and carried by one person, and all ofthe components, assemblies and subassemblies are contained within asingle enclosure.

FIGS. 9A and 9B together illustrate a flowchart of the operation of anembodiment of the present technology. In step 200, the processing device180 receives a request for a consumable product. This request may bereceived via the user interface 110 directly from the end consumer ofthe consumable product or by an operator such as a barista who receivesthe request from the end consumer and enters the request via the userinterface. In step 204, the processing device 180 determines whether ithas information stored for the selected consumable product. If not, theprocessing device 180 may use default settings or prompt the user toinput settings indicating the amount of consumable product, amount ofliquid and/or temperature of liquid. It may also be that a user canselect different sizes of the finished steeped product, e.g., small,medium or large. This information will also be used in setting theamount of product, size of the bag, and amount of liquid to be used.

In step 212, the processing device 180 may display the amount of productand the amount and temperature of liquid to be used. In step 214, theprocessing device 180 may prompt the user to accept these settings viathe user interface. If not accepted, the user may be prompted to enterthe product amount, liquid amount and/or the liquid temperature in step218. It is understood that the steps to 212, 214 and 218 may be omittedin alternative embodiments.

In step 220, the computing device 180 may set the bag and liquidparameters. In particular, the device 180 may set the size of the bag,the amount of liquid, and the temperature of the liquid. In step 224,the product dispensing assembly 120 may provide feedback as to whetherthere is consumable product loaded in the device 100, and liquiddispensing assembly 122 may provide feedback as to whether there isliquid in the device 100. If not, the user may be prompted to addproduct and/or liquid in step 226.

If there is enough product and liquid, bag formation and liquidpreparation may begin. As it may take some time, the liquid may beprepared (heated or cooled) to the proper temperature in step 228. Step228 may be performed later in the process in further embodiments. Instep 230, the bag stock indexing subassembly 128 may advance the bagstock 112, and in step 232, the edge seam subassembly 140 may form anedge seam 148 in the bag stock. In step 236 (FIG. 9B), a first end seam152 may be formed. As noted above, after at least one bag has been fullyformed, the formation of the second end seam (step 242 below) may occuras part of the same process as forming the first end seam of the nextbag.

In step 240, the desired consumable product may be dispensed into thefeed pipe 168. In embodiments described above, the product dispensingassembly 120 may include a plurality of hoppers 160, such as for examplea cartridge of hoppers 160. In such embodiments, the cartridge includingthe appropriate product may be selected by the processing device 180 anddispensed into the feed pipe 168.

After the product is dispensed, the second end seam 152 may be formed instep 242 to seal the bag. In step 244, the processing device 180 mayreceive feedback from sensor 198 to determine whether a new cup is inposition within the device. If not, the processing device 180 may promptthe user to put a new cup in position in step 248. Once a new cup is inposition, the cutting mechanism 174 may sever the bag into the cup instep 252, and liquid may be added in step 254.

The present technology provides an easy and economical way for user toget a to-go cup of high-quality tea or other beverage. However, it maybe that a user wishes to form a bag of consumable product, but not haveit steeped in liquid at the time it is formed. In this event, the usermay indicate this desire via the user interface 110. Upon recognizingthis request, the system can skip steps 244, 248 and 254, and merelysever the bag in step 252 after the second end seam is formed in step242, so that the device 100 dispenses a ready-made bag of consumableproduct to the user.

In embodiments described above, the bag is fully sealed around alledges. However, in a further embodiment, the top end seal 152 may beomitted so that a top of the bag remains open. In this embodiment, step242 is skipped and the bag is severed after a new (bottom) end seam 152is formed for the next bag. Once the bag with the open top is dispensed,the user can add more or different items to the bag, and steep it bydraping the open end of the bag over the cup.

The above-described steps may be repeated to form ready-made bags ofconsumable product. It is understood that one or more of theabove-described steps may be omitted and/or performed in differingorder. The system need not wait until a first bag of consumable productis dispensed before receiving a request for a second consumable product.Instead, the processing device 180 may queue up several requests at atime. The device 100 will form successive bags of consumable product perthe stored requests until all requests have been fulfilled.

In one mode of operation, the processing device 180 may have defaultinformation for use with a selected consumable product. However, inembodiments, the present system may receive and store custom userpreferences for the preparation of a bag of consumable product. In thisembodiment, each user may create a unique username and/or customizedproduct name, e.g., “Joe Smith” and/or “Joe Smith's herb tea blend.”This information may be entered via the user interface 110 and stored inmemory of the processing device 180. After a unique username and/orcustomized product name have been selected, the user may specify custompreferences for a bag of product that they would like to get. Thesecustom preferences may relate to the type of consumable product, theamount of product to use, the size of the bag 150 to use, the amount ofliquid to use, and the temperature of liquid. All this information maybe stored in memory of the processing device 180.

Thereafter, whenever the user desires the stored customized bag ofconsumable product, the user need only enter the username and/orcustomized product name, and the device 100 automatically produces a bagof consumable product customized to their stored preferences. A singleuser may create and store multiple customized preferences for differentbags of product, each one stored under unique product name.

The username and/or customized product name may be stored in the memoryof the processing device 180 associated with a single device 100. In afurther embodiment, the username and/or customized product name may bestored on a central server 199 (FIG. 8) in communication with a numberof different devices 100 at different locations via a network such asfor example the Internet. In such an embodiment, the user may quicklyand easily receive a bag of consumable product customized to theirparticular preferences at any location having device 100 connected tothe network.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing the claims. It is intended that the scopeof the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.

We claim:
 1. A device for forming a bag containing a consumable product,the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, the device comprising: aprocessing device for receiving a plurality of requests in successionfrom consumers requesting a plurality of different mixtures containingdifferent consumable products; a bag forming assembly for forming aplurality of bags from the bag stock in succession for the plurality ofdifferent mixtures contemporaneously with the processing devicereceiving the plurality of requests for the different mixtures; and aproduct dispensing assembly for dispensing the different consumableproduct into at-least partially formed bags contemporaneously with theprocessing device receiving the plurality of requests for the differentmixtures.
 2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a liquiddispensing assembly for dispensing liquid into a receptacle into whichone of the plurality of bags is dispatched.
 3. The device of claim 1,wherein at least one of the consumable products is tea.
 4. The device ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the consumable products is from a groupconsisting of herbs, spices, coffee, fruit and vegetables.
 5. The deviceof claim 1, wherein the product dispensing assembly dispenses a firstquantity of a first consumable product into a feed pipe when a first bagis at least partially completed, and wherein the product dispensingassembly dispenses a second quantity of a second consumable product intothe feed pipe when the second bag is at least partially completed. 6.The device of claim 5, wherein the bag forming assembly forms the firstand second bags with different widths than each other.
 7. The device ofclaim 5, wherein the bag forming assembly forms the first and secondbags with different lengths than each other.
 8. The device of claim 5,wherein the first and second quantities have a different volume thaneach other.
 9. The device of claim 5, wherein the first and secondquantities have a different mass than each other.
 10. A device forforming a bag containing a consumable product, the bag being made from asupply of bag stock, the device comprising: a product dispensingassembly for dispensing a product from a feed pipe into an at-leastpartially formed bag; a bag feeding assembly for feeding the bag stockaround the feed pipe; a bag forming assembly for forming a bag includingan edge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe,and first and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the secondend seam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispensesthe product into the at-least partially formed bag; a cutting mechanismfor severing the bag for receipt into a receptacle; and a liquiddispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantity of liquid into thereceptacle to steep the bag.
 11. The device of claim 10, furthercomprising a processing device for receiving a request for a mixturecontaining the consumable product
 12. The device of claim 10, whereinthe receptacle is a to-go cup which is ready to be carried away afterreceiving the bag and the quantity of liquid.
 13. The device of claim10, wherein the liquid dispensing assembly dispenses a first amount ofliquid into a first receptacle into which a first bag is dispatched andthe liquid dispensing assembly dispenses a second amount of liquid intoa second receptacle into which a second bag is dispatched.
 14. Thedevice of claim 11, wherein the first and second amounts of liquid aredifferent than each other.
 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the firstand second amounts of liquid have different temperatures from eachother.
 16. A device for forming a plurality of bags containing differentconsumable products and different amounts of consumable products, theplurality of bags being made from a supply of bag stock, the devicecomprising: a product dispensing assembly for dispensing consumableproduct from a feed pipe into an at-least partially formed bag; a bagforming assembly for forming the plurality of bags each including anedge seam along an edge of the bag stock fed around the feed pipe, andfirst and second end seams transverse to the edge seam, the second endseam being formed after the product dispensing assembly dispensesconsumable product into an at-least partially formed bag; a cuttingmechanism for severing a bag of the plurality of bags for receipt into areceptacle; and a liquid dispensing mechanism for dispensing a quantityof liquid into the receptacle to steep the bag, wherein the device isportable.
 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the device runs off of a120 volt AC current.
 18. A system for forming a bag containing aconsumable product, the bag being made from a supply of bag stock, thesystem comprising: a memory for storing a plurality of user identitiesand user preferences defined by the plurality of users regardingbeverages including a steeped consumable product; and a device,comprising: a processing device with access to the memory, theprocessing device receiving a user identity and retrieving stored userpreferences for that user regarding a beverage including the steepedconsumable product; and a bag forming assembly for forming the bag fromthe bag stock in accordance with the user preferences retrieved by theprocessing device.
 19. The system of claim 18, further comprising aliquid dispensing assembly for dispensing a liquid in accordance withthe user preferences retrieved by the processing device.
 20. The systemof claim 18, further comprising product dispensing assembly fordispensing the consumable product into an at-least partially formed bagin accordance with the user preferences retrieved by the processingdevice.
 21. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory is part of thedevice.
 22. The system of claim 18, wherein the memory is part of acentral server connected to the device by a network.